Well, we're still here - it's been pretty wet and wild windy for the last few days, and there's more to come, but so far no flooding or power cuts in this part of the world. I hope it's been the same for the rest of you. Heard on the 25th that around 150, 000 people 'across the water' were left without electricity by the storms, and that some of them might not be able to get re-connected for about a week. :-(
What do you guys have by way of back-up plans in the event of a power/water cut? Here's a list of the preparations I make.
Medications - as soon as a severe weather warning is issued, I phone the pharmacy to make sure that they'll still be able to deliver my meds as usual. If not, I arrange for someone to collect them for me in advance.
Top-ups and charging - I get everything charged/topped up as soon as possible. Scooter, laptop, mobile phone, rechargable batteries/lamps etc.
Mum and vulnerable neighbours - make sure they have contingency plans, cars filled up etc. Note any new numbers and arrange times for contact.
Food and bottled water - tins, dried foods and water in case the mains supply is cut off. 2 litres per person per day for hydration and cooking, for at least 3 days, and a litre extra per day for hand washing. We stash some mains water in the bathroom for flushing and washing, and a supply for the cat. Extra supplies of wet cat food will help to extent this.
Bleach, disinfectant, wipes - loads of these. If the water goes off, it's good to be able to keep things clean. I also get some extra commode liners, sterile disposal sacks and heavy-duty black bin bags, in case all else fails. Plenty of cat litter in case the weather is so grim George can't get out of the house (for example, if the ground is frozen or saturated, it's difficult for a cat to use their customary 'fresh air' toilet territories).
Stove, light, radio - I have an MSR Pocket Rocket rapid-boiling stove ( relic from my rufty-tufty outdoor days), and get in an extra large cannister for it. The Coleman F1 Lite is a good 'cheap and cheerful' alternative to this - Coleman propane/butane cannisters will power both. If you can't use an 'upright' style stove, Argos do some good, reliable 'ring' style stoves. I also have 2 dynamo powered lights - one a torch, and one and lantern which can be charged in advance then 'topped-up' with the dynamo hand-crank. A dynamo powered radio is also a good thing to have - they never run out of power and it's good to be able to listen to the local news.
The rest - matches, candles, phone numbers for water, power companies, council emergency lines.
When we had the 'big freeze' here back in 2009-2010 all of this came in pretty useful. Hopefully, no-one will need to use it, but it's good to have, just in case. :-)
